Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-16
AGRAPHIC ACCOUNT.
4 Description of the Wreck on the
Boston and Providence Railway
by One OF the Victims.
The Whole Train Dsmolished-The Num-
Der of Wounded decreased to One
Hundred and Fourteen.

DAVIS terrible railroad wreck, tells 8
thrilling story of his experience. He
saws: 81 took the train st ROslindale
with nv mother. We were sitting in the
middle of the second car: There was
absolutely nothing to give premoGition OF
the disaster. AL at once there was 6
crash, deafening noise, moment or
two of grinding timbers and then for a
moment all was still. It had come with
such awful suddenness that every
body seemed paralyzed. Then arose
3 confusion of sounds from the
wrecked cars below. Voices were
calling out for help and women scream
ing for aid, while all around there were
groans from those who were badly hurt
or dying. The floor OF our car seemed to
be forced W. 10 the roof, the entire coach
having c,llGpsed apparently. When the
crash came our heads were banged against
the roof while the seats were stTewn
about everywhere. Many people were
under the seats auG some were crushed
betu q L Them. Directly in front Of Us
sat mau E8Wgd Ryan. We were con-
VerSiUg with him 1T the moment Of the
crash Wien I saw him again lie was
actually run through and through by
splinters from Che bottom OF
the car. My mother ard [
were fs-tened il between our
seat and Ryan's, but / managed TO break
Ryan's seat AID release ourselves. My
mother lad tainted, and a first l thought
she YVES dead. pulled her out through
the window and she soon revived. |
then devoted myself to helping release
the imprisoned passengers. The sight
among the debris in the roadway was
horrible. There we're many people dead,
pinned down by tim5tTs, and many
wounded All were horribly mangled.
An inspection of the wreck reveals the
fact that eight cars comprising the train
are jumbled into a complete wreck, not
one If the coaches escaping 81
most perfect demolition. From the To-
cation of the wrecked cars 1t would
seem that The first three cars passed over
the bridge safely. The structure eveRtu-
ally gave way when the fourth car was
passing over it. The five rear cars went
through to the roadway, landing IN mass
Of splIGters in the street. The strain OF
the falling cars pulled the three coaches
in advance from the rails. They remained
on top Of the embaIkment but were pulled
Off their trucks and the floor OF each was
forced nearly to the roof, while the seats
were tumbled together in great con-
fusion. The end of the second
coach was mass of splinterS
caused by the car ahead grinding against
it when the others went down the en-
bankment. The third coach was fiat
tened 20 the ground as if it had fallen On
its trucks from g great height, although
il remained on the edge Ct the embank-
. a., s lao,
NAMED on the embankment, having evil
IDENTIFY been showed clean from its tasten-
ings where the coach went through. The
next four cars went down in heap, the
smoker, which was on the rear of the
train, falling IN the midst of coaches and
being actually ground into small splinters
The inmates of the smoker were ali
killed or injured. In the mass of splin-
tiers IN the roadway. are pools of
blood aud occasionally a portion Of a
body can be seen. Although such con-
neCted portions of human remains as are
fOund are hurried to the morgue, still
there are pieces of flesh to be seen some
times fastened between timbers as If &C
tualiy goughed from some victim"
A revised list of the injured in the rail-
road accident yesterday shows that ia
persons were wounded.
Conductor Tilden was in the third car,
which remained on top Of the embark
ment, and on the ground directly under
meath where he stood when killed Is a
pool of blood, while half of the debris OF
that coach is spattered with blood Un-
derneath this coach was picked up the
breast and lungs Of human being, pos
sibly q cOTtiOn Of the Conductors body.
That the horrors of the fire were not
added TO the terrible disaster WAS due to
the prOmptness with which relief Was
sent. A chemical engine from R0slindale
was at the scene within twenty minutes
The flames were soon eXtinguiShed and the
flremen did excellent work in resCutng
the injured. The stoves in all the cars
were securely fastened TO the foo by
iron bolts, and the doors were locked
In only one car did the stove upset. The
news of the disaster spread through the
city very rapidly, and in short time the
wreck was surrounded by an immense
crowd of people, attracted by curiosity Of
in search of relatiVeS and friends. The
scenes just after the disaster were har-
rowing in the extreme. The only person
known to have been an eye witness OF th'
disaster who was not on the train was j
II. Lennon.
Among the scientific gentlemen who
examined the broken bridge to-day wa:
Professor George Z Swim, instructor o.
civil engin ering and hydraulics at the
Institute of Technology, and who is also {
specialist in bridge construction. He i;
reported as saying that in looking
ct the floor beam hangers he fouIC
some Of the hangers were defective
and had been largely rusted off
There seems no doubt that the quality o.
the material was imperfec. in some
places. Several other parts of the bridge
showed evidences of faulty design II
trusses.
The unknown woman at the Grove
street m2rgue hiss been identified as Ross
Bella WEIGH.
All night long laborers were engaged
clearing up the debris of the wrecked Cars
at the scene Of the bridg disaster. StrewI
along the southern embankmentsre guam
titles Of car wheels, ratings, iron braces
window Panes and doors which have b-eI
gathered from the debris and which were
loaded upon fat cars and brought to the
city. At an early hour this morning m0rs
labOrers reinforced the tired men who ha6
swung the axe and pulled and tugged on
the wrecked cars and large force WAS